


hello stranger

by xuxilove



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Adoption, Age Difference, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Alternate Universe - Parents, Children, Domestic Boyfriends, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Gay Parents, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun & Suh Youngho | Johnny Are Best Friends, Lee Taeyong & Nakamoto Yuta Are Best Friends, M/M, Minor Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Romance, Single Parent Suh Youngho | Johnny, Teacher Nakamoto Yuta, hyuck and mark are little kids, yujae adopt!!!, yuta's 28 jaehyun's 23
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28227318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xuxilove/pseuds/xuxilove
Summary: yuta and jaehyun are ready to go on a new journey in their lives, starting a family.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 15
Kudos: 51





	1. thoughts and feelings

They had spoken a lot about children, Yuta first brought it up about 2 years into their relationship, it had been almost 2 more since then. 

After Jaehyun began to help out his best friend Johnny, who had become a single parent to his one year old son Donghyuck, Yuta raised the question. Would Jaehyun like to have children of his own?

Jaehyun was hesitant, of course. He needed time to think about it. Jaehyun wanted his career first, he wanted to travel and have fun with Yuta before thinking about bringing a child into their lives forever. 

Yuta understood, adopting a child was a huge commitment and Jaehyun was still young, it was completely okay that he wasn’t ready, but Yuta liked to think about the future, he would’ve been happy with any answer Jaehyun gave him, a yes, no or a maybe. 

Being the competitive person he was, Jaehyun knew that if they were to raise a child together, they would have to be funnier, smarter and more interesting compared to Mark, the five year old belonging to Yuta’s friends, Doyoung and Taeyong.

They had babysat Mark often, Yuta being Mark’s godfather meant that Jaehyun was always roped into babysitting duties too. Jaehyun hadn’t minded when Mark was a toddler and could only babble, but now Mark was five and annoying.

“Uncle Jaehyun, when can I-”

“I’m not your uncle.” Jaehyun said quickly, earning a slap on the arm from Yuta and a warning glare.

“Mark baby, he is your uncle, don’t listen to him. What were you asking, sweetie?” Yuta sat down next to Mark who was playing with Lego on the floor in front of the sofa Jaehyun was laying on. 

“When can I kiss uncle Yuta? Like you kiss him?” Jaehyun sat up abruptly and looked like he was about to kick over Mark’s Lego castle.

“Yuno.” Yuta warned.

“You can’t kiss uncle Yuta, sweetie.” Jaehyun seethed, the pet name sliding off his tongue like venom.

“Yuno, enough!” Yuta raised his voice slightly, trying to instil the fear of God into his boyfriend.

“My daddies kiss each other like that all the time, why can’t I kiss uncle Yuta?” Mark pouted at Jaehyun, who stared blankly at the small child.

“Only adults kiss like that, baby.” 

“So when I’m older I can kiss you?” Mark asked, stars in his eyes as he spoke to Yuta.

Yuta laughed and kissed the top of his head. “Yes, angel.”

Jaehyun huffed and took out his phone, a child making him jealous was ridiculous, he knew that, but Mark irritated him more and more as he got older.

It started when Mark had a clingy phase, he only wanted Yuta, not even his own fathers. So Yuta was over at the Kim household almost every evening after he finished teaching, leaving Jaehyun to his own devices or to join him at the couples house. 

So to say Jaehyun didn’t like that, was an understatement. He tried getting used to the child but he always did things to wind Jaehyun up, whether it was to talk only about Pokemon for five hours straight and how many cards his dads bought him or it was holding Yuta’s hand absolutely everywhere and begging to be carried, Jaehyun was sure Mark did it on purpose.

Jaehyun had a much better experience with Johnny’s child, Donghyuck. Johnny had asked Jaehyun to be his godfather as soon as he found out he was going to be a father.

He was amazed that Johnny would put so much trust in him, but he was out of his stoner phase and much more of an adult after being in a relationship with Yuta.

Donghyuck and Jaehyun did lots of things together, when Johnny had to work late or couldn’t afford a baby sitter, Jaehyun was always on call to look after his favourite tiny person.

They were close like Yuta and Mark were, but Yuta didn’t get offended when Jaehyun had to blow off dinner dates to take Donghyuck to the hospital due to a high fever since Johnny’s car broke down. Or when Jaehyun left half-way through a movie once because Donghyuck cried his eyes out when Johnny told him that Jaehyun couldn’t move in with them.

So Yuta didn’t understand the issue with Mark, but then again, Jaehyun didn’t understand it too well either. He just knew Mark was a nuisance.

On the drive back to their apartment, they hummed along to Yuta’s driving playlist, one hand on Jaehyun’s thigh.

“I wanted to tell you this earlier but Mark doesn’t know yet.” Yuta said, a small smile played on his lips.

“Hmm?” Jaehyun looked round from where he was occupied by the bright moon next to him, putting his hand on top of the one that gripped his thigh.

“Taeyong and Doyoung are having another baby.” Yuta grinned.

“They are? Are they...”

“Using a surrogate again, same woman.” Yuta looked over briefly to gauge Jaehyun’s expression.

“That’s amazing, did they tell you they were going for surrogacy again?” Jaehyun smiled warmly.

“They said they wanted another baby a while ago, but weren’t sure if Mark could handle being a big brother yet.” Yuta said, keeping his eyes focused on the traffic lights.

“They think he’s ready _now _?” Jaehyun asked, a slight bit of absurdity in his tone.__

__“Yuno.” Yuta rolled his eyes._ _

__Yuta was used to Jaehyun’s dramatics when it came to Mark, but it didn’t stop him from scolding him every time._ _

__“I’m kidding, kind of. But I’m happy for them, I really am. Do you know which one of them… you know?” Jaehyun asked, Yuta laughing at his hesitance._ _

__“It’s Taeyong’s sperm.” Yuta said plainly, Jaehyun choked a little._ _

__“Cool, cool.” Jaehyun coughed and went back to looking longingly out of the window._ _

__Yuta just shook his head with a smile, Jaehyun still being weird about sperm donors and such made him wonder how they would have their kids one day, adoption or surrogacy?_ _

__“Let’s just hope she takes after Taeyong this time and won’t be a little sh-”_ _

__“Wait, she?” Yuta glanced in Jaehyun’s direction who had turned to face the road._ _

__“Yeah, I think they’ll have a girl this time.” Jaehyun smiled._ _

__Yuta shared the same expression and gave his thigh a little squeeze. “Let’s hope you like her more than you like Mark.”_ _

__Making their way back to their apartment, the two settled down on the sofa, Yuta sitting up with Jaehyun in between his legs, his head in Yuta’s lap._ _

__“Fried chicken or pizza?” Jaehyun asked as he browsed through the delivery app on his phone._ _

__“Chicken, we had pizza two days ago.” Yuta muttered, trying to find a movie they hadn’t seen on Netflix was proving to be difficult. He heard Jaehyun mimic what he said in a whiny tone and tapped him softly on the head with the remote._ _

__“Hey!”_ _

__“Your head can handle it, shush.” Yuta retorted but gave his head a rub anyway._ _

__The couple decided on their order and on the movie for the night. It was their Friday evening routine, they babysat Mark when he came home from pre-school until Taeyong and Doyoung were done with teaching, Yuta’s classes were always done by 2pm on Fridays, making that the perfect arrangement for the busy parents._ _

__After babysitting, they came home, changed into cosy clothes (Jaehyun preferring fleece pyjamas and Yuta wearing a hoodie and sweatpants) and took it in turns to order food and pick a movie._ _

__Tonight, Jaehyun was a little quieter, Yuta had noticed. Throughout the movie he was almost silent, when usually he picked at the camera angles or casting. Jaehyun always had something to say about the movies they watched, so it was very unlike him to keep quiet the whole time._ _

__“Baby.” Yuta stroked Jaehyun’s hair, getting the attention of the younger who twisted his head to look up._ _

__“Yeah?”_ _

__“You’re quiet. What’s on your mind, love?” Yuta asked, his tone was soft and warm like the fruit patterned pyjama pants Jaehyun wore._ _

__“Nothing, I’m okay.” He turned back to face the tv. Yuta picked up the remote and paused it._ _

__“What’s one thing we don’t do, baby?” Yuta said, his voice a little sterner._ _

__“Bottle things up.”_ _

__“And what are you doing right now?”_ _

__“Bottling things up.” Jaehyun mumbled, before sitting up properly and facing Yuta directly, who twisted to do the same._ _

__Jaehyun just looked at Yuta for a moment, it was a slightly worried look, but not full of fear like Yuta was worried it might be. Jaehyun took a deep breath and spoke fast._ _

__“I think we should start a family.” He rushed the words so quickly that Yuta almost didn’t catch what he said._ _

__“Jaehyun...”_ _

__“Oh God, do you not want kids anymore? Am I too late? I know it’s been a while since you brought it up and I know we said we’d wait but-”_ _

__“Baby, calm down.” Yuta smiled at his boyfriends rambling, clutching his hands to reassure him. “Of course I want children with you.”_ _

__Jaehyun nervously smiled, the worry still on his face, though._ _

__“I’m just a little shocked you brought it up.” Yuta pulled Jaehyun into his chest._ _

__“Are you annoyed? Are you not ready yet?” Jaehyun muttered from where his face was pushed against Yuta’s hoodie._ _

__“No baby, not annoyed at all. I’m ready, I just didn’t think you would feel ready yet.”_ _

__“How come? Do you think I’m not ready?” Jaehyun asked in a panic, lifting his head up and looking at Yuta with furrowed brows._ _

__“I think you’ve been ready for a while, love, I just thought you’d want to wait a bit longer, that’s all. But you being ready now is amazing news.” Yuta assured him and Jaehyun settled back down into Yuta’s chest._ _

__“I know I’m still young, but hearing about Taeyong and Doyoung really got me thinking, you know? With looking after Donghyuck as a baby and us babysitting Mark I just... Yeah, I think we could do it.” Jaehyun finally let out a deep breath he’d been holding the whole time._ _

__“I think we can too.” Yuta smiled, he held Jaehyun’s head and turned it upward to face him. “We’ll have proper talk about it tomorrow, love.” He leaned down and kissed Jaehyun softly on his lips. “You’re gonna be a daddy for once.” Yuta giggled and kissed him again._ _

__“I called you that one time in college! Let it go!” Jaehyun pouted, Yuta quick to kiss it away._ _

__“Easily in my top ten funniest moments with you.”_ _

__Jaehyun groaned and shoved his head back into Yuta’s chest, Yuta always knew how to get him embarrassed. Yuta just laughed and stroked his hair again._ _

__They spent the rest of their evening cuddled up on the sofa, Jaehyun babbling about how big Donghyuck was getting and that he was now fully potty trained. Jaehyun beamed while talking about his godson, so proud of him for just simply growing up._ _

__Yuta loved listening to how Jaehyun adored the little boy. Jaehyun had been in Donghyuck’s life since he was born, and then even more when his mother decided she didn’t want a child anymore and ran off with one of her professors just a year after Donghyuck was born._ _

__He remembered how angry it made Jaehyun, and how he had vowed to never leave Johnny or Donghyuck’s side. Now Donghyuck was almost four and Jaehyun had stuck to his side, unable to go a week without seeing the child._ _

__“When you thought about having kids, did you want to go through surrogacy or adoption?” Jaehyun asked when they’d got into bed that night. He still had his fleece pyjamas on while Yuta of course, stripped himself of all his clothes._ _

__Putting on his glasses and snuggling up to Yuta, he let out a tiny yawn and put his head on the book Yuta was reading, blocking the view of it completely like cats did._ _

__“It never really mattered, to be honest. But there’s just so many children that need a good home, so many that don’t have the best start in life, you know? So adopting always seemed right.” Yuta looked quite contemplative, like he’d thought a lot about it._ _

__And he had, Yuta knew he wanted to be a father from a young age. He dreamed about raising a family with somebody, or even on his own if it came down to it. Not everybody wanted to be parents, and that was okay, but Yuta knew one day he was going to be a father._ _

__The method of which he wasn’t fussed about, whether it be adoption or surrogacy or even conceived with a partner, but obviously when he met Jaehyun he knew the third wouldn’t be an option. Though adoption always seemed like the way he’d go about children._ _

__“Did you ever see yourself having kids with a woman?” Jaehyun asked playing with the rings on Yuta’s fingers._ _

__“Not really. You know I’ve dated guys as well as girls over the years, none of them were right though, and definitely not people I could see myself having kids with.” Yuta yawned, pulling his book out from under Jaehyun’s head and placing it on the bedside table along with the rings Jaehyun was playing with._ _

__“But you did with me?” Jaehyun spoke in a small voice, his eyes getting heavy as he struggled to stay awake._ _

__“I knew I wanted to spend my life with you, Yuno. Of course, raising kids with you crossed my mind a lot, but I just didn’t know if you even wanted children. So I waited, I would always wait for you.” Yuta spoke with a tone that matched Jaehyun’s._ _

__Upon inspection, though, he found Jaehyun to be asleep. Holding onto two of his fingers and his head turned inward towards Yuta’s belly.  
Yuta tutted and tried to adjust him, his legs were in an awkward position and he knew Jaehyun would be annoyed in the morning if he woke up with a twisted back because he left his head in his lap. Even if it was Jaehyun’s fault for falling asleep like this._ _

__Yuta finally managed to place Jaehyun’s head on his own pillow, with a little kitten like swipe from Jaehyun’s hand when Yuta gave his nose a kiss._ _

__Blowing out the candle on the nightstand and turning off the lamp on Jaehyun’s side, he got under the sheets and snuggled up against Jaehyun’s warm body. They would talk more tomorrow, and Yuta couldn’t wait._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so an au!!! i wanted to write a non-canon compliant fic and this is based off another fic idea i have, which may potentially be a prologue to this one at some point idk!!!  
> filled with fluffy exchanges and younger members as babies!!  
> i hope you enjoy what's to come😽  
> thank you to chanel whom i love lots for always being the best writing partner and picking the title for this fic <3


	2. cherry blossoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "you’re annoying when you’re right.”
> 
> “i’m always right, baby.”

Yuta woke up to the smell of warm butter and blueberries in the air, telling him that Jaehyun was pretending he knew how to cook. Again.

He stretched out his tired body, checking his phone for any notifications but deemed them not important enough to answer yet. Slipping into the shorts on the dresser and nestling his feet into the slippers Jaehyun had bought him so they had matching pairs.

“Yukkuri!” Jaehyun smiled so brightly when he saw Yuta, his dimples so deep and his eyes almost unseeable with how his squishy cheeks hid them.

“Morning, baby.” Yuta said with a yawn. He wrapped his arms around Jaehyun’s waist and plopped his head on his shoulder, looking at what was for breakfast.

“We have a lot of research to do today, and we’re going out for dinner with Johnny too.” Jaehyun said softly, rubbing his head against Yuta’s,

“Oh, we are?” Yuta asked, watching Jaehyun pour out two cups of coffee.

“Mhm, his parents are having Duckie for the weekend and he wants to celebrate something.” Jaehyun shuffled back with Yuta still attached to him to grab milk from the refrigerator.

“And you don’t know what we’re celebrating? Did Hyuck not cry at the dentist or something?” He laughed and they moved back to the counter.

“Don’t make fun, Duckie hates the dentist. Those bastards.” Jaehyun frowned as he turned around, Yuta letting go of his waist to take the coffee from his hands.

“I’m sensing some deep-rooted issues with the dentist right now.”

“You’re a literature teacher not a psychologist, shut up.” Jaehyun rolled his eyes and shooed Yuta to the table, where he’d laid out the baby blue plates and matching cutlery.  
They were the kind of couple that had more than one set of dinnerware, for reasons Yuta still didn’t understand.

Yuta sat down, admiring the cherry patterned tablecloth Jaehyun had just recently bought. Jaehyun changed out the tablecloths depending on the season or holiday. Cherries were this months theme, with it being cherry blossom season in Japan right now.

“Baby when did you wake up?” Yuta asked, blowing his coffee to cool it down a little.

“I’ve been awake since like, six I think.” Jaehyun’s brows furrowed but he turned back to face the stove, pouring out pancake batter into the pan.

“Wanna tell me why?” Yuta asked. He knew the answer already, Jaehyun never could sleep when something exciting was happening.

Back in college, Yuta remembered how before an event or a class that excited him, Jaehyun would text extremely early to say good morning, while Yuta was just opening his eyes, glaring at the message that woke him up.

That was before Jaehyun moved in with him, in their earlier days when the relationship was still in the honeymoon phase. Though sometimes, Yuta felt like they were still in that phase, even after being together for four years. Their bond was still as sweet and Jaehyun was still as strange as the day he’d met him.

“We have loads of research to do! Learning about what it’ll take, what agency to go with, how other peoples experiences with adoption have been. So much!” Jaehyun exclaimed, his cheeks glowing pink with excitement as he faced Yuta.

Yuta smiled fondly at his boyfriend, reaching out his arms and making grabby hands at him. Jaehyun giggled and turned the stove down, padding over to sit on Yuta’s lap and get a cuddle.

They stayed like that for only a short time, Jaehyun had to jump up and make sure the pancakes weren’t burning. Yuta knew that their lives would change completely, and this time next year, everything they did now would be accompanied by a little one.

“How old?” Jaehyun broke the silence, bringing Yuta out of his thoughts.

“Twenty eight...” Yuta said slowly.

“Not how old you are.” Jaehyun rolled his eyes. “How old do you think our baby will be? Like do we give them an age range or?” 

“Another thing we’ll have to find out.” Yuta smiled. “I know that they match you with a child, so I guess whatever age they think we can handle.”

Jaehyun smiled contently, flipping the pancakes one last time and tidying up a little before he served them. The smile staying put for the entirety of breakfast, which made Yuta smile too.

Yuta adored Jaehyun, it was obvious to everybody that met them. The way his perfect smile was infectious, his dreamy eyes held so much excitement to the way he spoke with huge amounts of enthusiasm when he was passionate about something.  
Yuta adored Jaehyun with all his heart, it was these small things that made Yuta fall for him in the first place. After they got over the initial weirdness.

It wasn’t love at first sight, that was for sure. Not even love at fifth or fourteenth sight, Jaehyun was just a bit of a nuisance to Yuta. Jaehyun thought the same about him too. Of course, that was due to the nature of how they got to know one another, in class.

Yuta was Jaehyun’s literature professor. He was 6 years older than him with a sarcastic wit, a love of debating and a face carved by God himself, well that was Jaehyun’s completely unbiased opinion anyway.

But they didn’t first meet in class, or on campus or anything to do with college whatsoever. Yuta was coaching a junior soccer team and one of the kids hit Jaehyun in the back of the head with a ball.  
Yuta forced him to take a seat just in case he got concussion, even though Jaehyun was sure he couldn’t get concussion from a ball to the head.

Jaehyun always wondered why Yuta forced him to sit down and stay a while, watching him barely coach those kids, kids which Jaehyun despised.

It was after class one day, when Jaehyun brought it up. Yuta was setting up for his next lecture and Jaehyun watched, staying in his seat in the fourth row.

“Why did you make me stay to watch you coach those little shits?” Jaehyun asked. Yuta jumped a little, he didn’t know Jaehyun was still there. Jaehyun silently giggled at that.

“Sorry, what are you talking about?” Yuta said, closing his laptop and placing his fists under his chin.

“A few weeks ago, one of those tiny bastards hit me with a ball to the back of my head. You forced me to stay.”

“See, the word ‘forced’ is a bit dramatic. You could’ve left of your own volition.” Yuta said matter-of-factly. Jaehyun glared at him through his glasses.

Then Yuta turned his back on Jaehyun, choosing to write things on the board rather than continue a conversation with his bothersome (but attractive) student. 

Yuta found it funny that Jaehyun never brought it up again, they were now years into their relationship and the question didn’t arise ever again. That was another thing he loved about Jaehyun, he took things as is and rarely questioned Yuta. Even if he exaggerated the truth a lot.

The pair got ready for the day, putting on fresh clothes and going about their after-breakfast routines. Yuta wanted to stay in comfy clothes, but Jaehyun threw a pair of jeans at him and folded his arms, waiting for Yuta to get dressed. 

Sitting down at the breakfast table, Jaehyun scooted his chair closer to Yuta as the elder opened his laptop and typed in the password. Jaehyun’s fingers tapped on the table as he patiently waited for Yuta to bring up a list of agencies and their reviews.

They sat for hours, researching different agencies, reviews, speaking on live chats to representatives and what the process would look like. They liked the look of a couple of them that were located pretty close by.

“We need to talk about the cost.” Yuta said, pushing the laptop aside and raising an eyebrow at Jaehyun.

“We have savings.” Jaehyun said, pretty bluntly if you asked Yuta.

“I know. We’ve got a lot to cover though, love. We need to start thinking about a new place too, I’m not sure this place is going to be suitable for a toddler running around.”

The couple lived in a modest two bedroom apartment just outside of the city centre, Yuta had shared it with an unreliable roommate named Jeonghan, he was nice enough to live with but he was never great at paying rent on time, or informing Yuta when he had guys over.  
Jeonghan moved out when Jaehyun moved in two years ago, he went back to live with his parents and Yuta had never heard from him again.

Jaehyun liked the apartment, it was definitely better than living with his parents (as much as he loved them) or the fraternity house (he loved that family too). It was small, but cosy. Yuta covered most of the rent due to Jaehyun’s unpredictable income. 

They mutually agreed that the kitchen was their favourite part of the apartment. It was less modern than you would’ve expected from an apartment that got refurbished only six years ago.  
The style was that of an old farmhouse kitchen, with oak cupboards and a large sink. The countertops were cream and Jaehyun always made sure they were clean and tidy.

It was the biggest space in the apartment, with a round oak table to match the rest of the wood in the room.  
Yuta let Jaehyun decorate however he wanted when he moved in, he made sure that he felt as at home as possible. So the apartment was covered in throw cushions, potted plants (that Jaehyun forgot to water) and lots of trinkets they’d bought and found over the years. 

Their bedroom had a large print hanging on the wall opposite the window. It was on their first trip to Japan together. Jaehyun had taken a beautiful shot of the sunset at Bentenike Park in Kadoma, Yuta’s hometown. The trees were surrounded by a bright orange and pink light, the moon just about visible above them.

Jaehyun also took a few sneaky shots of Yuta, he looked perfect in the glow of the sunset. His skin so golden and his teeth bright as he smiled, the smile Jaehyun fell in love with more everyday.

The same smile and dreamy eyes looking at him now, as they spoke about expanding, Yuta being more than happy to let Jaehyun’s parents help them out.

“I’m just saying, they’ve offered. I have no problem accepting. Especially considering we will have a little one running around now, unlike before when it just seemed too much. We have a reason now.” Yuta said pointedly. Jaehyun sighed.

Jaehyun’s parents had offered to buy him an apartment when he graduated, he refused and stayed put with Yuta instead. Yuta grumbled about that, they could’ve moved into a prettier place without having to worry about rent. But Jaehyun was adamant he didn’t want his parents help when there was a perfectly good apartment they already lived in.

“You’re annoying when you’re right.”

“I’m always right, baby.” 

“Yeah, which means you’re always annoying.” Jaehyun laughed, Yuta scrunched up his nose and shot a glare at him.

“Seriously though, talk to them about it. We can’t afford to move out and raise a child by ourselves. We can afford a child here, in a space that will definitely be too small in a few years. Or we could move to a bigger place, pay rent for the rest of our lives and give our child the bare minimum.” Jaehyun knew Yuta was right, but that didn’t mean it didn’t leave a weird taste in his mouth.

“I know. I’m going over on Monday so, I guess I’ll speak to them then.” Jaehyun said.

“Are you telling them we’re looking into adopting, too?” Yuta asked, placing a hand on Jaehyun’s thigh.

“Well that was the reason I was going over in the first place. I feel like I need to let them baby me for a bit before telling them I’m hopefully gonna be a dad soon.” 

Yuta nodded, thinking about how they weren’t the happiest when they found out about their relationship. The fact that Jaehyun was actually gay and had a boyfriend was already a shock enough, let alone said boyfriend being his college professor who was six years older. 

“It’ll go well, I know it will.” Yuta said, pulling Jaehyun’s face towards his and giving him a soft kiss that Jaehyun sighed into, like he’d been waiting for it all day.

As time flew by and the evening set in, Johnny had text Jaehyun the restaurant address and time of the booking. Of course, Jaehyun had actually forgotten about the dinner but replied to Johnny with all the enthusiasm as if he remembered.

Jaehyun jumped in the shower as Yuta got dressed. He always appreciated how well Yuta styled himself, even if he was just in all black, the accessories or shoes or slight bit of makeup made all the difference.

Tonight, Yuta dressed in a burgundy button up with a few of the top buttons left undone, black jeans paired with chunky Doc Martens and a leather jacket hanging off his shoulders. 

Yuta was just finishing up with his accessories when Jaehyun got out of the shower, it never took Jaehyun long to get ready seeing as he usually wore the same style of outfit just in different colours.

“You look like a sexy biker who’s gonna spit on me if I even look at you.” Jaehyun giggled.

“Your compliments just get weirder, but I’ll take it.” Yuta laughed and accepted the kiss Jaehyun offered.

Jaehyun headed to the wardrobe and picked out a white shirt and a soft pink jumper to layer on top, throwing a pair of blue jeans on the bed and taking his time deciding on shoes.

“Yuno just pick a pair, we’re going to be late.” Yuta stood in the doorway, arms folded and his feet tapping heavily on the wooden floor. Jaehyun side-eyed him and settled on a pair of Chelsea boots. A classic, he always said.

Johnny was waiting at their table when the pair walked in, it was a small family run steak house with incredible wines, Yuta being a connoisseur of whites and Jaehyun just enjoying the peppercorn sauce he drenched his steak in.

“Hey!” Johnny stood up as soon as he saw them, the two bickering over who would be designated driver. 

“John, good to see you.” Yuta got pulled into a bear hug and sunk into it, always enjoying how warm Johnny was. It had been a while since the two had seen each other, Jaehyun on the other hand saw him and Donghyuck at least twice a week.

They all sat down and Johnny held up the bottle of wine he’d ordered, Yuta lifted the glass in front of him and nodded his head with a wink, signalling Jaehyun would be driving tonight.

“So what’s the special occasion, Johnny? Yuno mentioned you’re celebrating?” Yuta looked into his glass, observing the wine before taking a taste.

“ _We’re _celebrating actually, a friend of mine and Jae’s is back in town, and... here they are.” Yuta and Jaehyun both turned to see who Johnny gave a small wave to.__

__A ridiculously handsome couple walked in, they smiled brightly seeing Johnny and Jaehyun, hurrying over and taking off their jackets, joining the table. Yuta thought he recognised one of them, but he taught so many students he couldn’t be sure._ _

__“So good to see you.” The taller of the two said, hugging Jaehyun and scooting round to hug Johnny too. “This is my fiancé Junmyeon.” He beamed and flashed his hand at Johnny, showing off the glittering diamond that was nestled onto one of his slender fingers._ _

__Junmyeon smiled at the two of them, holding his hand out for Yuta to shake, and giving Jaehyun’s shoulder a squeeze._ _

__“Professor.” The fiancé of Junmyeon laughed, sitting down and looking happily at Yuta._ _

__“I’m guessing I taught you?” Yuta asked, the uncertainty heavy in his tone._ _

__“God no, watching Jae study for your class was more than enough for me. These two were my little brothers.” He stroked Johnny’s head. “I’m Sehun, I saw you a few times at the frat house, whenever Jae would get too drunk and you’d have to come and kiss him goodnight.” Sehun winked at Jaehyun, who simply groaned as his ears burned red._ _

__“You’re the one who used to bring Yuno bread.” Yuta laughed, finally remembering the model like face opposite him._ _

__“One of my proudest moments as a big brother.” Sehun rolled his eyes and smiled fondly at Jaehyun._ _

__Jaehyun had his fair share of typically frat-boy moments in college, it did nothing for the reputation of him or the frat house, Yuta begrudged going there every time Jaehyun was supposedly in need of him. A professor stepping into a frat house surely had to be breaking at least eleven college rules._ _

__Sehun was indeed, a very good big brother. Jaehyun told him a lot of stories that involved Sehun helping him make big decisions, letting him cry on his shoulder when he argued with his parents or just making him tea when he caught a cold. Sehun never shied away from his responsibilities, always facing them head on._ _

__“So what brings you back to town?” Jaehyun asked, sipping his water and glaring at Yuta who drank down his glass of wine._ _

__“Junmyeon wanted to see where I grew up and who I grew up with, I came back purely to see my two favourite boys. Oh, and to celebrate our engagement.” Sehun smiled at his other half, who shared the same expression as him._ _

__“Did you bring Sooyeon with you?” Johnny asked, Yuta looked at Jaehyun, wondering whether or not he should know who Sooyeon was._ _

__“She’s with my parents, she knocked out as soon as we got in, travelling takes it out of her, apparently.” Sehun rolled his eyes and Junmyeon snorted._ _

__“Sounds like a little princess.” Jaehyun said._ _

__“You know who she gets that from.” Junmyeon laughed and pinched Sehun’s cheek._ _

__“Sooyeon is their daughter, babe. She’s eight now, right?” Jaehyun said, finally looking at the menu._ _

__“You have an eight year old? Wow.” Yuta said curiously. Sehun being only slightly older than Jaehyun and having an eight year old didn’t quite make sense to him._ _

__“We’ve had her in our lives for almost two years now.” Junmyeon beamed. Then it clicked for Yuta._ _

__So the pair were adoptive parents, Yuta looked to Jaehyun, who probably hadn’t even put two and two together yet. Jaehyun looked up at Yuta with an oblivious smile, then caught on to Yuta’s expression._ _

__“Oh shit, right. So, we have some news of our own.” Jaehyun looked to his boyfriend who was obviously eager to tell the table._ _

__“Yuno and I are looking into to adopting.” His bright smile simply shone as he intertwined his and Jaehyun’s fingers on top of the table._ _

__The other three were all smiles and congratulations, Johnny looking surprised but happy. Sehun telling them they needed to meet Sooyeon. Junmyeon making sure they knew if they ever needed advice or had any questions, that they would always be happy to help._ _

__Yuta was filled with warmth, they were still in the early days of the lengthy process, but knowing they had a couple that had been in their position and been successful with adopting, really did assure him that they could do the same._ _

__This time next year, they would hopefully be parents. With their own little one staying at their grandparents so they could have a night out, just like this one._ _


	3. monday's are long days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jaehyun visits his family and leaves with more than he wanted.

The weekend flew by too quickly as always and Monday came around before the couple even had time to do their weekly apartment clean.

Reviewing their options of adoption agencies was going to take time, but they felt like they knew who they wanted to go with, purely based on speaking with Junmyeon and Sehun.

The couple had come over on Sunday for a few hours, they brought their daughter Sooyeon and Jaehyun had made cupcakes for all of them to share. He sure knew how to win over an eight year old.

Yuta had loved seeing Jaehyun like that. He always loved seeing Jaehyun with Donghyuck and it was just even sweeter knowing he was just as adoring to a child he had never met before.

Sehun had texted Jaehyun that evening to tell him that Sooyeon had the best time with her new uncles, Jaehyun nudged Yuta who was reading a new book to look at the text as he beamed.

“She likes us.” Jaehyun grinned.

“How could she not? You let her eat the rest of the icing off the spoon.” Yuta rolled his eyes but smiled fondly at the younger.

“She’s so cute though, those big eyes would make anybody feel guilty for saying no to her.” 

Jaehyun in his natural state of pout, forcing Yuta into kissing it away as Jaehyun giggled.

“It’s like with you and your cheeks, how could I say no to those?” 

“Which cheeks are we talking about here?” Jaehyun wiggled his eyebrows.

“The ones on your face, we both know the peaches are lacking down there, baby.” Yuta poked his cheek and kissed all over his soft face.

They went to sleep that night with a newfound warmth in their hearts. Maybe it was due to how supportive and helpful their friends were, or maybe it was because it all started to feel real when they met Sooyeon. A couple in their position had gone through the process and had been blessed with a daughter, it gave them hope that it could happen for them too.

Yuta taught classes all day long on Mondays. It was typical to have an early start and a late finish on a Monday. But at least that meant his Fridays were shorter. Yuta was up and ready by 7am, kissing Jaehyun’s sleepy smile to get to work at 7.30am to go prepare for his first class of the day at 8am.

Jaehyun admired Yuta’s work ethic, he never got bored of teaching his students and he never complained about the hours of overtime he worked just to make sure his students got the best grades they could with his help. Yuta even held extra teaching sessions in order to help those with lower grades. 

Jaehyun knew all along that Yuta was selfless, but seeing it from an outsiders perspective was different. Yuta did it because he cared, not because he felt guilty or wanted more money. He loved teaching and was passionate about it. Just like he was with everything else in his life.

The same couldn’t be said for Jaehyun’s own work ethic. Sure, he graduated with great grades and was on track for a decent graduate job compared to others, but he didn’t have the same love for his work that Yuta did. 

He wished he did, he wished he could find a job that he loved and felt like he wanted to get up in the morning for. But he was still young, and Yuta reminded him constantly that he himself was the anomaly when it came to graduate jobs. 

Yuta started teaching middle schoolers and grew from there, already having a graduate job in place at the school he volunteered at for the entirety of college. Then a couple of years later, after finishing his masters, he applied for the international college that he still taught at now. Things just worked out for him.

It wasn’t exactly jealousy for Jaehyun, but he wished that he could find his calling like Yuta had so easily come across. He tried not to complain, tried to think positively that he would find something soon. 

For now, Jaehyun was stuck proofreading. He proofread all sorts of publications, he had initially joined a company that hired proofreaders because Yuta told him it would help him become a better author. 

That was what Jaehyun actually wanted to do. He wanted to write novels for a living. He knew it was always going to be difficult, he knew he wouldn’t be a published author any time soon, but he always wanted more time to write than to read other people’s work and fix their errors.

Jaehyun thought this through as he laid in bed where Yuta had left him. He hadn’t been commissioned to edit anything over the next couple of days. The industry was elusive and through doing this for a couple of years now, Jaehyun knew he just had to wait it out until he got an email.

So today, Jaehyun was telling his parents about him and Yuta wanting to raise a child. To say he was terrified would be an understatement.

Back when they first started their relationship, when it got serious and he and Yuta decided they were actually a couple, he told his parents he had a boyfriend. 

Jaehyun had worked up the courage to ask his family to go for dinner, his parents were pleased, happy that finally their son wanted to take a break away from the frat house and be their little boy again.

They chatted for a while, Jaehyun making small talk and answering their questions without letting them notice the shaky tone of his voice. 

“I really wanted to ask you guys something.” Jaehyun piped up as he drank his third glass of wine.

“Yes, love?” His mother smiled at him, her cheeks rosy just like his since they’d been drinking a little, and her eyes held so many stars in them when she spoke to him.

“Would you,” Jaehyun paused for a moment. “would you, be mad if I told you I was gay?” Jaehyun rushed the last part so quickly his parents barely heard him.

“Jaehyun-ie, my sweet boy.” His mother took his hands and brought them to her own face, she rested her head on them and Jaehyun thought she was about to cry. Instead, she brought them down to her rose stained lips and kissed them. Smiling sympathetically after but keeping a firm grip on his soft hands.

His father looked at him for a few moments, before clearing his throat and putting his arm around his mother.

“Do you want to talk about this at home?” He asked, looking around the restaurant, clearly embarrassed by what Jaehyun had just said.

Jaehyun shook his head with sad eyes and took his hands away from his mother, who opened her mouth to say something, but subsequently did not.

“I’ll just go.” Jaehyun said quietly, pushing his chair back and standing up ready to leave, but his father intercepted him.

“Sit down, Jaehyun.” His father said, not harshly but still rather stern. “This is a shock, you have to understand that.” He said as they sat back down.

Jaehyun was fidgeting with his fingers and wanted to call Yuta to come and get him, but he couldn’t do that right now.

“You had girlfriends in high school?” His mother said, questioning whether he really did have those girlfriends.

“I thought I could like girls. Thought maybe it wouldn’t be as hard if I liked guys and girls.” Jaehyun said meekly, his mouth turning into a pout, the pout that came out whenever he was trying to stop himself from crying.

“Jaehyun,” His father said softly. Jaehyun looked into his kind eyes, the eyes that were kind no matter what, even in this situation. “we love you regardless of who you love.” And that was all it took to get the tears flowing down his plump cheeks.

“I-I wanted to, to tell you now because,” Jaehyun started, he was worried that if he didn’t tell them now then he’d just have to hide Yuta for even longer, and that wasn’t something he wanted to do.

“Because what, love?” His mother insisted, reaching her hand out to take his own.

“I have a boyfriend.” Jaehyun started crying again. This time, his father sat on the empty chair next to Jaehyun and put his arms around him immediately.

“Is he kind? Does he treat you well?” Jaehyun nodded, the tears still falling. “I’d like to meet him, make sure he’s taking care of our Jaehyun-ie.” 

Jaehyun thought of this moment often, whenever he and Yuta talked about it, it was always emotional. He thought about how he felt as though his father was over compensating with support, but it turned out that he was serious about that, his support never wavered, he cared about Jaehyun the same as he did before he knew he was gay.

Now, him and his boyfriend were 4 years into their relationship and ready to start a family, but Jaehyun didn’t know how that would go down.

Deciding to face his parents with the news, Jaehyun got out of bed rather unwillingly and stuffed his feet into his fluffy slippers. 

Jaehyun looked himself over in the mirror once he had got ready, making sure he looked neat and tidy and, well, like an adult. He was worried that his parents wouldn’t take him seriously, think that he was too young to raise a child, that he was still just a child himself.

A frown made its way onto Jaehyun’s face. He was an adult, he was responsible and was serious about bringing a child into their lives. He didn’t need to prove anything to his parents, as long as he and Yuta knew they were ready, that’s all that mattered.

With a deep breath, Jaehyun smoothed down his hair and exited the bedroom, grabbing his keys on the way out and getting into his car as quickly as he could so he couldn’t second guess himself and just cancel the whole thing.

A bright smile welcomed him as he pressed the doorbell and waited, he had his own set of keys but always felt that he should be let in, it wasn’t his home anymore, he felt rude just entering.

Jaehyun’s mother cupped his full cheeks with her warm hands, a welcoming feeling as the wind outside was bitter today. He gave her cheek a kiss and pulled her into a hug.

“I missed you, Jaehyun-ie.” She sighed deeply, letting herself fall into Jaehyun’s chest.

“I missed you too,” Jaehyun said, stroking her hair softly. “I’m sorry I haven’t been home lately.” His mother pulled back and rolled her eyes at Jaehyun, making him giggle.

“You’re a busy boy!” Jaehyun cringed at ‘boy’ but brushed it off, following his mother inside the house. 

“Yuta in classes today?” She said, heading into the kitchen while Jaehyun took his shoes off.

“Yeah, Monday’s are a long day, so he won’t be here for dinner either.” 

“That’s a shame, I was hoping to see his lovely face.”

“More than mine?” Jaehyun pouted, standing next to her at the flour covered countertop, her hands kneading dough.

“I’ve seen your face all your life, it gets boring after a while.” She laughed, Jaehyun laughed with her and bumped her with his hip, almost pushing her over in the process.

“Ah! Jaehyun-ie!” She pinched his cheeks with her floured hands and patted, making the flour sprinkle all over him.

Laughing with his mother really made Jaehyun appreciate moments like this. He didn’t come home to his parents as often as he would like. Especially not recently, he’d been busy helping Johnny with Donghyuck a lot, all his deadlines came at once and all the research they’ve put in towards the adoption. Time got away from him, like it always does.

Jaehyun helped his mother cook, fix things that needed fixing around the house, helped move furniture around (he began to think that she was only doing this to keep him occupied when he moved the sofa around for the third time.)

They’d laughed a lot, that was something they were both experts at. Making each other laugh, his earliest memories involve him and his mother laughing. She made him bright and happy, and he only hoped he could do that for his child, too.

His father came home and greeted them both so warmly, his face lit up when he saw Jaehyun, gathering both him and his mother in a hug as soon as he got to them in the kitchen.

“We missed you.” His father said, removing his suit jacket and taking a seat at the table Jaehyun was setting the cutlery down on. 

“I’ve already told him!” His mother said, laughing by the stove.

“And we haven’t seen Yuta in so long! Is everything okay between the two of you? He hasn’t upset our Jaehyun-ie has he?” His father said sternly, but Jaehyun could only laugh. He loved that his parents were protective when it came to his relationship, it reminded him that they were supportive.

“Yuta’s always busy with school, it’s exam season soon and he’s trying to do as much as possible for his students.” Jaehyun beamed.

“Not neglecting you, right?” His mother quipped.

Jaehyun laughed. “I couldn’t be neglected by him even if I tried!”

“Well next time you’re over, make sure it’s the two of you.” His father smiled.

Jaehyun felt his chest fill with warmth, even though it’d been four years, them speaking about his relationship in such a caring way made Jaehyun feel so grateful.

They ate contently, light conversation flowing through them. Hearing his parents bicker and laugh was comforting, he was glad they remained the same as they were when he was little.

“So there is a reason I’m here today.” Jaehyun said, still with a smile on his face, he was excited to tell them his and Yuta’s news.

“Ah, it wasn’t just for the amazing company!” His mother giggled.

“Of course that was partly the reason, but I have news and I really hope you can be supportive.” 

The pair nodded, waiting for Jaehyun to continue speaking.

“Yuta and I are looking into adoption.” Jaehyun’s smile didn’t falter, that was until he saw his parents look at each other and back to Jaehyun. “What’s wrong? Are you not happy about this?” Jaehyun said, voice filled with worry.

His mother came to sit beside him, she gripped his hand before she spoke.

“Jaehyun-ah, I want you to know we love you, with our entire hearts.” She said softly.

“We never found the right moment, but it’s better you know now. Please, please don’t hate us.” His father had tears in his eyes.

“My love,” She paused for too long in Jaehyun’s opinion, before closing her eyes and continuing. “We aren’t your biological parents. We adopted you when you were just a few months old.” 

Jaehyun’s heart dropped, the noise that surrounded him was fuzzy, tightness in his chest consumed him and tears were building up too quickly. His parents tried to console him, but Jaehyun’s mind was too cloudy to let them.

He couldn’t see properly, the tears falling onto his cheeks burned his eyes, his face was too warm and his cries were making him hiccup, unable to form any coherent words even if he wanted to. 

Jaehyun felt too many emotions, he couldn’t make sense of anything. Shock, sadness, betrayal and loathing ran through his veins and he didn’t know what to do with any of it. So he left, stumbling through the kitchen into the hallway and grabbing his belongings, not listening to anything his parents were saying, he blocked out their voices.

Unlocking his car and swiftly putting the keys into the ignition, Jaehyun wiped the copious amount of tears from his eyes that could only see love when he looked at his parents a mere five minutes ago, and drove off, leaving his parents behind.

It didn’t take long to reach the university, he had probably gone over the speed limit a few times in his haste to reach Yuta but he didn’t care. He needed to see Yuta, he needed to be comforted by the only person that could do so in this moment.

Upon reaching his destination, Jaehyun tried to call Yuta, knowing his phone was always in his office when he was teaching, but he tried just in case. After receiving no answer like he knew he would, Jaehyun made his way to his boyfriends office. 

A student was busy at a desk outside Yuta’s office, she was part of Yuta’s cohort of students that he had helping him out with admin work and such. The girl whipped her head around when she heard the door open and worry took over her whole face. 

The girl grabbed the keys and opened up Yuta’s office, ushering Jaehyun in and grabbing him a glass of water, telling him she would go get Yuta for him.

Yuta was in full swing of his lecture, it was getting towards the evening and he only had a few classes left, he was rambling about Greek tragedies until his student Eunji walked in. She quickly made her way over and gave him a sad smile which immediately put Yuta into worry mode. 

“Yuta-ssi, your boyfriend is in your office, he’s pretty upset.” She whispered. Giving him a sad smile before leaving. 

Immediately, Yuta announced to the class that he would have to leave early, that he would upload the rest of the presentation and send out notes for them to look over before the next lecture.

Yuta pretty much ran to his office, he knew Jaehyun wouldn’t interrupt his lecture if it wasn’t something serious.

Upon arriving, he saw Jaehyun with his head in his hands in the armchair that faced his desk, his usually large stature looked as though it had shrunk, and that made Yuta want to scoop him up and protect him from everything.

“Baby.” Yuta said softly when he entered, sure not to startle Jaehyun, who looked up at him with bright red cheeks and tears that wouldn’t stop falling.

Jaehyun stood up so that Yuta could hold him, and they swiftly moved back to the armchair, Jaehyun in Yuta’s lap as he slumped into him.

The crying continued for a while without either one of them saying anything. Yuta knew that Jaehyun needed time to cry everything out, whatever the issue may be. He waited until Jaehyun’s cries had become breathier, signalling he was getting ready to speak.

“Take your time, baby. I’ve got you, okay?” Yuta soothed, he gripped onto Jaehyun so tightly, making sure he felt secure.

Jaehyun wiped his tears and patted down the tear stained shirt Yuta was wearing, and he looked like he was going to cry even more due to how wet the shirt was, but Yuta took his hand and interlaced their fingers.

“They’ve lied to me.” Jaehyun whispered, he put his head back into the crook of Yuta’s neck were it lay earlier.

“What did they lie about, love?” Yuta whispered back.

“They- they’re not my, my, birth parents.” Jaehyun stuttered and hiccuped, his tears starting again but this time he muffled his cries with Yuta’s shoulder.

“Oh baby I’m so sorry.” Was all that Yuta could say. He didn’t know how to react to the situation, he couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to find out something like this, especially at the age of 23.

Cries continued to fill up the room, Jaehyun not being able to cry silently anymore. Yuta held him, and would hold him for as long as he needed. He didn’t pressure Jaehyun into going home yet, he just let him cry and let him feel everything he was feeling. 

The pain Jaehyun felt was immense, he couldn't quite make sense of his feelings, he had too, too many questions. Jaehyun cried until his head hurt and until his heart struggled to bare the pain he felt. He was in Yuta's arms, the only person he could trust right now, and that's where he would stay until he was ready to face reality again. However long that would take.

**Author's Note:**

> second chapter hi!!!
> 
> gross amount of FLUFF bc im a sucker for soft yujae and yujae dads makes my heart hurt!!
> 
> thank you always my lil demon chanel, i wouldn't be the fic writer i am without u MWAH


End file.
